οἰκία
oikía
G3614 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A dwelling place, residence, or building used as a home; in extended senses, the people belonging to a household or the familial group associated with a residence. The primary sense of οἰκία is a physical structure intended for living, but it may also refer to the organized social unit inhabiting that structure. Occasionally used figuratively for a 'household' in the sense of dependents, family, or estate.
Semantic Range
house, place of residence, building for habitation, home, household, family group, estate, domestic group (including servants or dependents), sometimes property or dwelling as a legal designation
Root / Etymology
From the root οἰκ-, related to οἶκος (house, household, family, dwelling). οἰκία is a derivative noun formed on this root, with the -ία suffix as a feminine abstract and later concrete noun formation. The root is Indo-European, cf. Latin vicus (village).
Historical & Contextual Notes
οἰκία appears from the classical Greek period onward, initially denoting a house or dwelling, and its meaning remains largely stable through the Hellenistic and Koine periods. In the context of the New Testament and the Septuagint, οἰκία most often refers to a physical dwelling (house, building), but can also indicate the group inhabiting it—whether biological family, extended kin, or, in some contexts, servants and dependents. In literary Greek, the distinction between οἰκία (usually the building or household as a unit) and οἶκος (the house or lineage more broadly, including property and legacy) may be blurred, but οἰκία tends to be more concrete and used for the place of residence. English translations often render it 'house' or 'home,' but may miss the nuance when οἰκία refers to an entire household or familial group. No clear theological overlay attaches to the word itself. In legal or formal Greek, οἰκία could signify property rights or estate holdings. The Septuagint tends to employ οἰκία to translate Hebrew terms for both a dwelling and a family/household group, reinforcing the fluid semantic boundary in ancient usage. In some religious or instructional passages (e.g., in parables), οἰκία can acquire metaphorical coloring, but the core referent remains domestic space or social unit. Differences with οἶκος and related terms (e.g., οἰκείος, οἰκοδεσπότης) are contextual and not always consistent across Koine Greek authors.
Translation Consistency
“House” is the most natural, common English rendering for οἰκία’s primary sense (a dwelling or residence) and is already the most frequent translation in the P2 corpus. It also works well metonymically for the extended sense (‘the household’ or family/estate), is simpler and more neutral than “home” or “dwelling,” and will read naturally and consistently across all forms.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from οἶκος; properly, residence (abstractly), but usually (concretely) an abode (literally or figuratively); by implication, a family (especially domestics):--home, house(-hold).
Root Family
οἰκία (oikia) — dwelling, residence, home, household
Word Forms
4 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3614-02 |
οἰκίαν | oikian | N ACC F SG |
house | a dwelling | house | 40 |
G3614-01 |
οἰκίᾳ | oikia | N DAT F SG |
house | in a dwelling | house | 35 |
G3614-03 |
οἰκίας | oikias | N GEN F SG |
house | of a dwelling | house | 18 |
G3614-04 |
οἰκιῶν | oikion | N GEN F PL |
houses | of houses | of houses | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
94 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G3614-02 |
Matthew 2:11 | οἰκίαν | oikian | N ACC F SG |
house | a dwelling | house |
G3614-01 |
Matthew 5:15 | οἰκίᾳ | oikia | N DAT F SG |
house | in a dwelling | house |
G3614-02 |
Matthew 7:24 | οἰκίαν | oikian | N ACC F SG |
house | a dwelling | house |
G3614-01 |
Matthew 7:25 | οἰκίᾳ | oikia | N DAT F SG |
house | in a dwelling | house |
G3614-02 |
Matthew 7:26 | οἰκίαν | oikian | N ACC F SG |
house | a dwelling | house |
G3614-01 |
Matthew 7:27 | οἰκίᾳ | oikia | N DAT F SG |
house | in a dwelling | house |
G3614-01 |
Matthew 8:6 | οἰκίᾳ | oikia | N DAT F SG |
home | in a dwelling | house |
G3614-02 |
Matthew 8:14 | οἰκίαν | oikian | N ACC F SG |
house | a dwelling | house |
G3614-01 |
Matthew 9:10 | οἰκίᾳ | oikia | N DAT F SG |
house | in a dwelling | house |
G3614-02 |
Matthew 9:23 | οἰκίαν | oikian | N ACC F SG |
house | a dwelling | house |